Second Thursday in Lent ~ February 22, 2024
Jalāl al-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī [1207-1273]
was born in what is now Afghanistan and is considered by many to be the greatest Sufi mystic, theologian, and poet in the Persian language. His work achieved global recognition and appreciation by the end of the 20th century, particularly in the United States. In 2007 he was described as America's favorite poet. His words have a unique universal quality to speak to us all in a variety of faith traditions and even with those who claim none.
Rumi gives us much to
think about in this Lenten season and in every day of our lives. I'm slowly realizing,
after years of reading Rumi's poems, quotes, and thoughts, that I could be a
much better human if I internalized and acted on more of his messages instead of merely
enjoying them.
Teaching unlimited tolerance, goodness,
charity, and awareness through love, his message appeals to a wide
range of creeds and sects around the world. Continuing on from yesterday’s
message of love, people ~ whether they are liked, disliked,
loved, hated, or invisible in our path ~ create all sorts of reactions and
responses in our individual lives.
Pay close attention to the people you meet today ~
family, friends, co-workers, customers, clients, drivers on the road, fast food
workers, store clerks. What words come to mind with each encounter (be
honest with yourself!)...is there a lesson for you to think about?
How will you accept or resist them? How will they accept or resist you?
Dear Loving Creator of All
Humanity,
We, Your people come in all shapes, sizes, colors, temperaments,
personalities, beliefs, etc., and we judge them all according to our own
sense of right, wrong, or indifference as us and them. Yes,
yes, I know I'm not supposed to do that however it just seems to
come naturally ~ meet, size up (also known as judge), decide, all in
a nano-second. For today, I will give up deciding
about someone based on a snap-judgment. I will take on an
attempt to remember that I do not know the stories behind their eyes from a
lifetime or an hour ago, as no one knows mine, and that their smile, disinterest, or
anger doesn’t teach me a thing about who they are. I’ll try to learn
something, especially about myself, from each individual I encounter even if it
is only seconds long. I will pray for everyone I
see, or as many as I can, even if only with a quick "Bless her/him/them,
Lord," even if the moment is unpleasant, or, perhaps because it
is. I'll try to change the ugly words that sometimes come into my
head in order to be the kinder, more considerate, and thoughtful person
I want to be, as You want me to be. Help me, Lord, to remember that
each person is Yours as I am, and to be grateful that “we” are in Your Creation
together. amen.
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment